Gauntlet-cuff and method of producing the same.



F. R. EVANS. GAUNTLET cuFF AND METHOD of PRoDucxNG THE SAME.

APPUCATIO'N Fl-LED FEB. 7| 1918.

Patented Feb. 25, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

mv A F. R. EVANS. GAUNTLET cuFF AND METHOD 0F PRoDucmG THE SAME.

-APPLICATION FILED FEB. I, 19H3. i

Patented Feb. 2o, 1919.

FRANK R. EVANS, F ZANESVILLE, OHIO.

GAUNTLET-CUFF AND METHOD 0F PRODUCING- THE SAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 25, 1919.

Application filed February 7, 1918. Serial N o. 215,887.

To all whom'z't may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK R. EVANS, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Zanesville, in the county of Muskingum and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gauntlet-Cuffs and yMethods of Producing the Same, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparel manufactures and has as itsobject the production as a new article of manufacture, of an apparel blank possessing features desirable from a commercial point of view, and a novel method of producing such a blank.y

Vhile the present invention is related more especially to the production of gauntlet cus, the 4principles thereof may be followed in the production of various articles of wearing apparelconsisting of two or more plies of material which it has been heretofore customary to unite by one or more lines of stitching. Therefore, while the specific disclosure of the invention in the description which is to follow will be directed solely to the production of gauntlet cuffs it will be understood that the invention is not restricted to this particular adaptation.

Ordinarily gauntlet cuffs are produced in the nature of blanks of the proper shape, each blank consisting of a facing ply and a lining ply, these plies being united to each other by one or morelines of stitching extending longitudinally between the outer and inner edges of the blank and a line-of over-edge stitching at both the inner and outer edges of the blank. The first-mentioned lines of stitching, which are equivalent to quilting, serve, of course, to unite the intermediate portions of the plies of the cuff blank so as to hold these portions together and thus assist in retaining the shape- The of the cuff when the cuff is crushed. 4 outer and inner edges of the plies are united by the lines of over-edge stitching both as a matter of security and also to produce an ornamental effect. It. is customary for the wholesaler or glove manufacturer, who is to place gauntlets of his particular design upon the market, to supply the gauntlet cuff ,manufacturer with the cloth or other material from which the cuffs are to be made and to also furnish the manufacturer with the thread necessar for the stitching together of the plies of t e cuff, the manufacturer on the other hand furnishing the necessary machines for carrying out the operations of cutting the material into the blanks of required form and s titchingtogether the plies of the blanks to produce the finished article. In the instance of the inexpensive varieties of gauntlets, the wholesalers profit on each dozen is ordinarily not more than two or three cents, the cost of material, namely, the material from which the blanks are formed and the thread, being a considerable item of expense. It will be apparent, therefore, that if the cost of the thread were eliminated, the

' wholesalers profit would be considerably increased, considering the fact that he usually requires the?manufacture of several thou sand dozensbf cuifs per day. The stitching together of plies comprising the cuff blanks also entails the waste of a considerable quantity of thread, for it-,isgfcustomary to run, for example, a line stitching through the plies of one cuff blankand then follow this `blank on the machiiire with another blank through the plies of which a corresponding line of stitching is to be run, and the thread which spans the gap which must necessarily occur between the receding end of the first blank and the advancing end of the second mentioned blank is an absolute waste. Furthermore, if stitches are skipped in the operation of the sewing machine, it is necessary .to stop the machine, move the cuff blank back to such a position that the presser foot and needle will overlap, to a considerable distance, a portion of the line of stitching being run, and then again begin the step of stitching. As a result the new line of stitching Will overlap the old line and this involves a waste of thread. Furthermore, over-edge stitching requires considerably more thread than is necessary in running a line of ordinary stitching and, therefore, in over-stitching the edges of the cuff blank considerably more thread is employed-than is actually necessary to unite the edges of the plies comprising the blank. The present invention, therefore, aims to save to the wholesaler of articles of the class mentioned, not only the cost of the thread ordinarily wasted, 'but also the cost of the thread which has heretofore been considered absolutely necessary to be employed in properly joining together the plies of the article. Aside from this saving in material and reduction vin the cost of production of the article, the invention alms to provide for the production 110 of the article in equally as durable a condition as though its pl1es were stitched together, and with the same artistic appearance as possessed by a similar one of the articles, in which the plies are united by lines of stitching. InY other words, the invention aims to provide for the production of a gauntlet cuff or like apparel blank comprising plies united without the employment of stitching and at the same time possessing every appearance of being neatly and artistically stitched. Thus by following the principles of the invention the wholesaler may be supplied with the articles at a much lower cost than at present, as he is relieved of the necessity of furnishing the manufacturer with thread for the purpose of stitching together the plies of the article, and on the other hand the manufacturer benefits as he is relieved of the expense incident to the operation and upkeep of expensive sewing machines. The invention contemplates that the finished article shall have its plies united as securely as though stitched together and in such manner as to obtain a reinforcement of the article as a whole to a greater extent than if the plies were united by stitching and, consequently, the purchaser of gauntlets having their cuffs manufactured in accordance with the invention is also benefited as he is furnished with a more substantial and durable article than heretofore, and'i'f the wholesaler sees fit, atv a lower cost.

Aside from the disadvantages above pointed out for the use of thread in securing together the plies of gauntlet ycuff blanks, there are other disadvantages which will now lbe explained. As above stated lines of stitching are ordinarily run longitudinally of such a blank through the .intermediate portions of the plies comprising the same so as to hold these portions of the plies together and assist 1n retaining the shape of the cuff when crushed or crumpled. However, the said portions of the plies are only united along an extremely narrow line which is the line of stitching and, therefore, these lines of stitching add little if an thing to the stiffness of the completed cu and assist but slightly in preventing crumpling thereof. Furthermore, in running the lines of stitching the material of the plies is repeatedly punctured by the machine needle and thus is weakened along each line of stitching. While this would be hardly perceptible in the instance of thin or soft cloth, it is very noticeable in the instance ofgauntlet cuffs, the plies of which are ordinarily of drilling or other heavy and relatively stiff cloth, and in fact the plies are so weakened along the lines of stitching that the material very readily bends along these lines and the completed cuffs comprising several plies may a be folded or broken down along such lines gauntlet cuffs the cu is and the lining ply as readily as though scored or artly cut through at the lines of stitching. herefore, in the ordinary methods of manufacturing greatly weakened by the intermediate lines of stitching passing through its plies. The present invention,vtherefore, aims further to disclose a method whereby the plies comprising such a cuff blank may be united at their intermediate portions in such a manner that their said portions will be additionally stiffened and reinforced, thus not only overcoming the disadvantages attending the union of such plies by lines of stitching, but at the same time securing new advantages and providing an article' in every waypmore desirable both to the wholesaler and to the purchaser. In fact from the specific description which lis to follow it will be apparent that by following the principles of my invention there may be produced a gauntlet cuff more vsubstantial than the ordinary stitched cuff,

possessing none of the disadvantages of the latter, and presenting many new advantages lwhich render the article as a whole far superior to af vcuff produced by the old methods.

-In the accompanying drawings:

Fi ure 1 is a-plan view of one form of cuff lank produced in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional of Fig. l;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the blank shown in Fig. 1,' the plies at one end of the blank being partly separated;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1, illustrating a modified form of blank;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the blank produced by the invention united to the lwrist portion of a gauntlet;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to` Fig. 4 illustrating a further modified form of the blank;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view on the line 88 of Fig. 7.

A cuff blank produced in accordance with view on lthe line 2-2 the present invention may consist of any de` sired number of plies and-in the forms of the invention 'shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, the blank comprises a facing ply 1 and a lining ply 2. These plies may be of like material or each of a different kind of material if found desirable. Ordinarily the facing ply 1 will be of a fair grade of cloth possessing any `'desired -degree of Astiffness 2 will be preferably ofva heavy cloth which is relatively thick or stiff and if desired of a cheaper quality. In carrying out the invention, the two plies in the form of relatively long strips may be assembled and united and subsequently cut into blanks of suitable length, or if desired -the plies may be initially cut into blank form and then assembled. As above stated it has been heretofore customary to unite the plies at both their inner and outer edges .with lines of over-edge stitching and to further unite their plies by parallel lines of stitching extending longitudinally of' their intermediate portions. The rpresent invention also contemplates uniting the plies along| these lines but by the employment of means other than lines of stitching, and in carrying out the method of the invention, assuming that the plies are initially in the nature of .long strips of material, for example, in roll form, one of the plies, as for example, the lining ply 2, has applied to its inner face, or in other Words, that face which is to contact the facing ply l, lines, or relatively narrow longitudinal zones of adhesive, as indicated by the numerals 3, 4, 5 and 6. The zones of adhesive 3 and 6 are located respectively at the outer and inner edges of the said face of the ply 2 and the zones 4 and 5 of adhesive extend parallel to each other and to the zones 3 and 6 and longitudinally of the ply or strip at the intermedia-tev portion thereof. If desired one of the intermediate zones 4 or 5 may be omitted and on the other hand the number of such intermediate zones I of adhesive may be increased if found desirable. The adhesive which is employed is of a Water-proof and heat-proof character i and as the strip from which the plies 2 are to be cut is supplied with the adhesive in the zones 3, 4, 5 and 6, this face of the strip is Ibrought into rm contact With the inner face of the strip from which the plies 1 are to be formed, pressure being preferably applied at such time so as to force the adhesive into the interstices of the strips, thereby securing a firm union of the strips to each other. It will be' understood that adhesive may be applied to the inner face of the strip comprising the plies 1 instead of to the strip comprising the plies 2, or that adhesive may be applied to the contacting or mutually engaging faces of both of the strips. In applying pressure to the strips in the manner stated above, the strips may be passed between heated presser rolls in which event the adhesive will be immediately dried and hardened. From the foregoing it will be under'- stood that this step in the method results in a superficial union of' the strips or plies. In other Words the strips or plies are united to each other through a medium presented only upon their contacting faces as distinguished from a union 'by stitching or some other medium penetrating or passing en` Vtirely through the plies and While at the l suitable for the-purpose and, therefore, it is my intention that the expression superficial means as employedin this specification and the appended claims is to be construed as4 including any means whatsoever .which may be employed for uniting the plies -face to face Without penetrating or extending entirely through the said plies.

The other step in the method, and which step may be carried out previous, simultaneously with, or subsequent to the performance of the step above described. consists in printing or otherwise impressing upon the outer face of the facing ply 1` or the strip if the plies 'are initially in strip form, lines or designs simulating lines of stitching, and in the present instance the outer face of the ply l has printed or other# Wise impressedA thereon imitation lines of zones of adhesive have been applied and the y plies or strips have been brought together, so as to assist in firmly uniting the plies or strips along the lines of the said zones. Also the 4character of the lines of imitation stitching may be greatly varied, the lines 8 and 9 in the present instance representing a quilting stitch and the lines 7 and 10 being of such nature as to represent an over-edge stitch. Of course, if desired, as a variation, morel or less artistic floral designs may be impressed along the lines 8 and 9, or these lines of stitching may be made to take a wavy or looped or other artistically a pearing course. In any event it is pre erable that the impressions representing, the lines of stitching be in a distinctive color so as to appear in an attractive manner upon the facing ply 1.

I have found that by employing the proper sort of adhesive. the plies comprising the blank may be united to each other in substantially as secure a manner as though actually stitched together. However, if desired the modification illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings may be resorted to. In, these figures the numeral 11 indicates an actual line of stitching of the ordinary character run through the plies immediately inwardly of their outer edges and consequently touching the bights of the loops which are printed upon the face of the facing ply l at this edge of the ply to imi-fJ tate the line of over-edge stitching usually employed. In this manner the outer .edges of the plies comprising the vblank may be firmly united by'a line of stitching Without, however, resorting to an over-edge stitch, and yet the finished article will have the appearance of being provided with such a -together throughout their intermediate porstitch at its outer edge. However, as stated the line of stitching 11 is not needed if the proper sort of adhesive is employed.

As heretofore stated, when lines of stitching, or more specifically a quilting stitch, are run along the lines corresponding to the lines 8 and 9 above referred to, the stiff cloth plies are so weakened by the needle punctures that the cuff' as a whole is fiexible or may be readily bent or creased along these lines in the same manner that a piece of paper may be readily bent, folded, or its parts separated, along a line of perforations formed therein and also in the same manner as a sheet of metal may be readily bent or folded along a scored line or a line following a deeply cut groove. Thus in uniting the faclng and lining plies by lilies of stitching extending along the intermediate portions of the plies, the cuff blank is greatly weakened and its stiffness is impaired rather than enhanced. On the other hand in uniting these plies by longitudinally extending zones of adhesive in the manner above described, the plies are not only securely held tions, but the stiffness of the cuff blan is greatly increased and it is better enabled to hold its shape even when crushed. Furthermore, there is no weakening of the material such as is incident in the former instance, to the penetration of the material by the sewing machine needle. Another decided advantage possessed by the article embodying the invention and presented by the method of the invention, is that the completed article produced in accordance with the invention will bear imitations of l lines of stitching entirelyregular in form and attractive in appearance as distinguished from the irregularities which must result when the plies of such an article are actually stitched together and the stitches have been dropped andthe plies restitched. A

In the previous description reference has been had'to a cu blank comprising two or more plies, but by following out the last described step only of the method, a single ply blank such as shown in Figs. 7 and 8 may be produced, this blank comprising, as stated, but a single ply of heavy relatively stiff material having printed or otherwise impressed upon its outer face the imitation lines of stitching heretofore referred to.

From the foregoing description of the article and the method whereby it is produced it will be understood that by carrying out the method I am enabled to produce a cuff blank in -which the plies will be substantially as securely united to each other as though stitched together and which blank will have the appearance of being neatly' and artistically stitched. At the same time it will be apparent that by uniting the plies to each other through the employment of longitudinally extending zones of adhesive I not only 'avoid ,weakening the plies through needle punctures but on the other hand greatly reinforce the plies along their lines of union, considerably stiffen the blank as a whole, and at the same time provide means for maintaining the shape of the blank and restoring it to its proper shape after being crushed. It will also be obvious that not only do I- attain the new results and advantages aimed at, but I also provide for a great saving kof material and` labor, and a great saving in the expense incident to the operation and upkeep of expensive sewing machines so that both the wholesaler and the manufacturer may obtain greater profits and the purchaser may, at

a lower cost, obtain a gauntlet having cuffs vmore attractive in appearance than the ordinary stitched cuffs and equally as durable.

In the appended claims I will refer to the article as an apparel blank and it is to be understood that by this expression I intend to include an apparel blank of any nature whatsoever although as heretofore stated the invention is designed primarily to be followed in the production of cuffs for gauntlets.

Having thus described the invention, what I is claimed as new is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, an apparel blank comprising superficially united plies of material, one of said plies having upon one face in a distinctive color an imitation of stitching. i

2. As a new article of manufacture, an apparel blank comprising superficially unitedv facing and lining plies of material, the facing ply having upon its outer face in a distinctive color an imitation of stitching.

3. As anew article of manufacture, an apparel blank comprising plies of material superficially united at one edge, one of said plies `having upon one face at the said edge an imitation of stitching.

4. As a new article of manufacture, an apv parel blank comprising plies of material superficially united along relatively narrow zones,'one of said plies having upon one face an imitation of stitching extending opposite said zones.

5. The method of producing an apparel blank which includes the steps of superficially uniting plies to compr1se the blank, and impressing upon a face of one of the plies, an imitation of stitching in a distinctive color.

6. The method of producing an apparel blank which includes the steps o f superficially uniting the edges of plies which are to comprise the blank, and impressing upon one face of one of the plies at the said edge, an imitation of stitching.

7. As a new article of manufacture, an apparel blank comprising plies superficially united along one edge, one-of said plies havimitation of stitching, and running a line ing upon one face at the said edge an imiof stitching through the plies substantially taton of stitching, and a line of stitching along the line of imitation stitching.

run through the plies substantially at the 9. Asa new article of manufacture, a ply 5 line of imitation stitching. f of an apparel blank bearing upon one face 8. The method of producing an apparel in a distinctive color an imitation of stitchblank which includes the steps of superfiing. cially uniting an edge of plies which are In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

to comprise the blank; impressing upon one 10 face of'one of the plies at the said edge an FRANK R. EVANS. [n s.] 

